Electronic communication devices, such as computers, mobile phones, tablets, and the like often include or have access to a contact list database (contact list), which includes contact information relating to various contacts of a user of a communication device. In addition, the communication devices are capable of accessing and using multiple phone numbers, email addresses, or the like, allowing a user of the mobile device to effectively access multiple personas (e.g., work or personal or different work or personal personas) using a single communication device. Multiple work personas may be used, for example, for users that have multiple jobs or for someone who sells or distributes multiple product lines from different vendors. In theses cases, a user may maintain persona separation through different email addresses and/or phone numbers.
As adoption of mobile communication devices generally and “Bring Your Own Device” (BYOD) into the work environment specifically increases, mobile device users are increasingly combining business use and personal use of their communications devices. Accordingly, contact information for such users may include multiple email addresses, street addresses, phone numbers, titles, and the like for a given user or contact.
Some business applications exist that run on electronic communication devices, such as personal computers, mobile tablets, or mobile smartphones that allow a user to perform functions using the contact lists available to these applications. These contact lists are often made up of information from several different sources containing both the user's personal and business contacts. The applications available on the devices may perform different functions or perform functions differently based on a contact type; i.e., whether a contact is a “personal” contact, a “business” contact, or a particular type of personal or business contact.
Methods for categorizing contact information include manual categorization as well as automated categorization based on communication methods between a user and a contact. Once the contact information is categorized and stored, a user can manually edit the contact information using the communication device. The assigned category or contact type associated with the contact information can then be used for grouping, displaying or sorting the contact information on the user's device.
Although such techniques work for a variety of applications, the techniques generally require manual input and/or manipulation of contact information. Accordingly, improved methods and systems for assigning contact information are desired. In addition, improved systems and methods that perform an operation or perform an operation differently based on additional information associated with a contact are desired.
It will be appreciated that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of illustrated embodiments of the present invention.